Margate Municipal Building
By NANETTE LoBIONDO GALLOWAY
MARGATE The Board of Commissioners Thursday, Feb. 3 introduced three bond ordinances allocating more than $5.55 million for various capital improvements.
The first, Ordinance 02-2022, appropriates $2 million for planned improvements and renovations to the Margate Municipal Building at 9001 Winchester Ave., which formerly served as the Union Avenue School.
The commission has been discussing for the last year upgrading the first floor public spaces at the municipal building to ensure the safety of employees and the public. The bond will cover costs for building construction, security cameras, fixtures and furnishings.
Work includes reconfiguring the tax and finance office, new lighting, flooring, installation of bulletproof transaction windows, renovating the corridor, installation of new wall coverings, ceilings, a set of doors to break up the long look of the corridor, a dehumidification system, reconstructing the vestibule, Americans With Disabilities Act improvements, electric doors, video cameras, asbestos abatement, exterior lighting, façade improvements, new furnishings and general cleanup after the work is completed.
The bond will also pay soft costs for the project, including architectural, engineering, contract management, legal fees, permits and approvals, as well as preparation of bid documents, inspections and administration. The city will finance $1,900,000 and use $100,000 in cash from the city's capital improvement fund as a down payment.
Engineer Ed Dennis Jr. of Remington & Vernick reported that the city received seven bids for the work on Feb. 2 and the low-bid came in below the engineer's cost estimate. Bids ranged from a low of $715,000 from R. Maxwell Construction Co. of Pleasantville to a high of $823,000 from R.W. Wilkinson & Sons Construction, Inc. of Absecon. After all the bids are reviewed for completeness and accuracy, a contract will be awarded after the bond is approved.
The second, Ordinance 03-2022, appropriates $2,400,000 for general capital improvements. The bond appropriates $715,300 for beach bulkhead access points at Knight and Union avenues, a walkway at the Sigmund S. Rimm Athletic Complex, and HVAC improvements and roof replacement at the Margate City Public Library. An appropriation totaling $1,090,600 will cover the cost of various road projects, including the 100-block of Jefferson Avenue, Gladstone Avenue between Fulton and Marshall avenues; Winchester Avenue between Douglass and Exeter avenues; curbs and gutters; and repaving the parking lot at the police station. The bond includes surveys, construction plans, engineering, bids and specifications, permits, bid documents, and inspections and administration.
Also included is $394,100 for improvements at the Martin Bloom Pavilion, including the outdoor restroom, new doors and siding, and an unspecified amount for the proposed dredging of the back bay area. The bond will also allocate $200,000 for the cost of purchasing new technology for the Public Works Department and 911 system. The city will finance $2,280,000 and use $120,000 in cash from the city's capital improvement fund.
The third, Ordinance 04-2022, appropriates $1,150,000 for the water and sewer utility, to include $804,000 for underground utilities during road projects, sanitary sewer manhole rehabilitation, drainage improvements and soft costs associated with the projects. The bond also allocates $346,000 to purchase a Ford Crew Cab, 4x4 dump truck and Case 812 G Wheel Loader T4F for the Public Works Department.
Public hearings on the three bond ordinances will be held 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 17 at Historic City Hall, 1 S. Washington Ave.
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